by Shaquita Bell, M.D.

The Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic opened more than 50 years ago in its original home in the Central District. That first location on East Spruce Street was the fruit of Ms. Odessa Brown’s vision that no child should be denied health care because of their race. 

That clinic was the home to OBCC for about a decade. In 1980, we moved into the location on Yesler Way that is now a fixture of the Central District — a place where patients and families get needed care regardless of anyone’s ability to pay and no matter anyone’s background. 

I made the difficult decision recently with the support of fellow leaders at Seattle Children’s to temporarily close the Central District location after the discovery that the building needed major repairs that would be too disruptive for our patients and families. This decision was ultimately mine, and I wanted to share my thinking about this temporary closure.